Property Tax Rate To Decrease Slightly

Broward County's property tax rate will go down slightly for the third year in a row because of the rapid increase in land values.

County commissioners capped the tax levy Tuesday as officials unveiled a $2.6 billion budget for county operations in the new fiscal year that starts this fall.

County spending will grow $168 million under the proposed budget, largely to pay for airport expansion, new security requirements, the opening of new libraries and parks, and work to improve fire services.

The average taxpayer will pay $9 more. That resident, owning a $102,320 home with a homestead exemption and the state limits on property value increases, would pay $581 to the county on this fall's tax bill, compared to $572 last year.

The tax rate for fire service in unincorporated areas would remain unchanged, even though annexations have further reduced the area served by county firefighters.

As part of next year's proposed budget, the county wants to upgrade its offices at the Government Center in downtown Fort Lauderdale and make renovations to One University Drive to move other county offices there.

At the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, $220 million in projects are planned, including adding three floors of parking to the consolidated rental car building being built, security-related changes to the terminals and a double-deck roadway exit from Terminal 4. Another $4.3 million is being sought to meet heightened security requirements at the airport and at Port Everglades after last year's terrorist attacks.

The expanded Century Plaza Library, the new African-American Research Library and the new Stirling Road library will open next year, for an additional $1.5 million in operating expenses. The start-up of specialized regional fire units will cost $5.8 million, while an extra $7 million is set aside to enhance county redevelopment efforts.

In the Sheriff's Office budget, a new counter-terrorism unit is proposed at a cost of $1.2 million. Sheriff Ken Jenne is also seeking $6.7 million to open the new women's detention center, $1 million to open a satellite booking office in the northern part of the county and $6.7 million to keep deputy pay competitive with nearby communities.

The county would have had to roll back the tax rate from $7.40 to $6.80 per $1,000 of valuation to keep the amount of money generated the same as last year, but County Administrator Roger Desjarlais said the $7.35 rate was needed to pay for the services.

The county's tax roll rose 12 percent in 2001, from $82 billion to $92 billion, the largest one-year increase ever posted. Higher property appraisals from redevelopment and top-dollar real estate sales, as well as new construction, fueled the increase.